NUMBER 52 A Prime Source of Backgammon Information NOVEMBER 1992

luster . ounting

by Jack Kissane

Jack Kissane, backgammon master from Albany, New York, is known in many chouette circles as the fastest pip counter in the world. In a June 1989 CHICAGO POINT interview, Kissane claimed that he can count almost any backgammon position within five seconds

For the first time anywhere, Jack Kissane shares his counting techniques with the backgammon community. Enjoy.

Pip counting. How do you view it? An annoyance? A necessity? Just part of

the game? Some backgammon players can't or won't be bothered doing a pip count. Others use the count as a crutch, basing far too many checker moves on it. After a hard day of match play or during an all-night chouette, pip counting can be sheer torture, draining our limited supply of"thinking" energy. However, once or twice a game, knowing the count is critical for making the right checker play or, more importantly, the correct cube decision.

Over the years, I have developed a system of pip counting that significantly reduces the amount of time needed to count a position. I call it Cluster Counting. Hope­fully, this fairly simple system will help you minimize the drudgery of pip counting and thus increase your enjoyment of the game.

Basically, Cluster Counting involves the mental shifting of checkers to form patterns of Reference Positions (RP) whose pip totals end in zero (with two notable exceptions) for quick, easy and accurate addition. Here are my seven basic Reference Positions:

REFERENCE POSITIONS

RP #1: 5-Primes. Multiply the midpoint of

any 5-Prime by 10 and you have just counted a cluster of ten checkers. Position 1 shows a 5-Prime from the 4-point to the 8-point.

Position 1. RP #1. 5-Prime around the 6-point . Black = 60.

The 6-point is the midpoint and the count for these ten checkers= 60 pips (6 x 10). This is so because 5s and 7s average out to 6s, and 4s and 8s also average out to 6s.

RP #2: Closed Board= 42 pips. This is just a 5-Prime around the 4-point plus two checkers on the ace point.

RP #3: Five checkers each on the 6- and 8-points = 70.

RP #4: Two checkers each on the 7- and 8-points = 30 .

RP #5: Five checkers on the 8-point = 40.

RP #6: Two checkers each on the midpoint and opponent's bar point= 62.

RP #7: Two checkers on the midpoint and one on the 14-point = 40.

These seven Reference Positions combined with Key Points and Mirrors are the backbone of Cluster Counting.

KEY POINTS

The two Key Points most often used are the 5-point and the 20-point (opponent's 5-point). The 10-, 13- and 15-points are also quite valuable.

Position 2 shows two examples of counting a cluster of eight checkers all at

[ConJinued onpage 4]

WHICH IS NOT A BEAVER? 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

~r ·~r

~ LJ 13 14 15 16 17 18. 19

;~~ ...

12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Which one of the four items shown above is not a beaver? . . . . . . ANSWER: Theodore "Beaver" Cleaver, a Canadian beaver coat and Black's proper cube action are all beavers. The animal pictured in the lower right corner is a muskrat.

EDITOR & PUBLISHER Bill Davis

2726 West Lunt Avenue Chicago, IL 60645-3039

Telephone: 312/338.0380 FAX: 312/338.0384

CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Harold Branch (KY) Carol Joy Cole (MI) Jake Jacobs (IL) Duane Jensen (MN)

Nell Kazaross (CA) Danny Kleinman (CA) Kit Woolsey (CA)

All rights reserved. A word about copying this publication-go ahead. You may copy any of this for noncommercial purposes as long as you give full credit to "CHICAGO POINT, 2726 West Lunt Avenue, Chicago, IL 60645-3039."

· CHICAGOPOINTispublishedmonthly. The subscription rate is $25/12 issues ($35 interna­tional airmail in USD check drawn on U.S. bank).

Advertising Rates: 2318" x31/4" = $35. 1/4 page = $60. 112 page= $100. Full page= $180. If the ad is not •camera ready," request layout and typesetting for an additional $15 charge.

LETTERS ·~ c/o CHICAGO POINT 2726 W. Lunt Avenue

Chicago, IL 60645-3039

HOW IMPORTANT ARE THE FINALS? Why do you think Mike Senkiewicz and Tino Lechich blew off the October America Cup finals? I would conjecture that it is not because of a lucrative chouette prospect as you reported. It is more likely because high level backgammon is boring and chouette play is exciting. If pressed, I venture that they would both admit that the money was of secondary consideration to these gentlemen.

If the best players don't care to prove who the best players are and just want to play at backgammon instead of working at backgammon, then their organization should change to support letting them do that, without admonishing them. And they can bum the damn trophies.-Lee E. Harvey, Excelsior, MN

I think greed is taking over backgammon. Certain players are reluctant to play finals matches because they are "too busy"

, playing in chouettes with their pigeons. This is unfair to their Calcutta owners whose winnings become dependent on a shortened match. It's also disappointing to

coming attractions

MARK YOUR CALENDAR

BACKGAMMON 1 :t 3 •••

J 8 ."'111Z1ll 14 .. ,. U'lll ,.:Ill by Carol Joy Cole

313/232-9731

• Denotes new or revised listing NATIONAL 1993Amerjcan BG Tour events underlined.

Nov 10 Nov 14-15 Nov 15 Nov 19 Nov 20-22 Nov 21* Nov 22 Nov 28* Dec 5 Dec 6 Dec 6* Dec 13 Dec 17 Jan 9* Jan 12* Jan 16 Jan 17* Jan 20 Jan 20-24 Jan 28* Jan 30 Feb 19-21 Feb 26-28 Feb 28*

Bar Point 10th Annual Fall Trophy Tourney, Pat's Pub, Norridge, IL 312/338-6380 San Diege Autumn Gran Prix, Embassy Suites Hotel, La Jolla, DA 619/294-2007 New England Club Monthly, Sheraton Commander, Cambridge, MA 617/262-0173 Third Thursday Bonus Tournament, Ramada Inn, Flint, Ml 313/232-9731 BG Co-Op Fall Championships, Rocking Horse Ranch, Highland, NY 516/781-3993 1992 Bloomington-Normal Championships, Ride The Nine, Bloomington, IL 309/454-1947 14th Annual Flint Area Club Championships, Ramada Inn, Flint, Ml 313/232-9731 Fall Backgammon Championship, Chess Palace, Long Beach, CA 310/634-8477 Springfield Series #2, Davy Byrnes, Springfield, IL 217/789-6275 Bar Point Sunday Tournament, Braxton Seafood Grill, Oak Brook, IL 312/252-7755 Sunday Monthly Tournament, New York Chess & Backgammon Club, NY 212/302-5874 New England Club Monthly, Sheraton Commander, Cambridge, MA 617/262-0173 Third Thursday Bonus Tournament, Ramada Inn, Flint, Ml 313/232-9731 Springfield Series #3, Davy Byrnes, Springfield, IL 217/789-6275 Bar Point Club Awards Night, Pat's Pub, Norridge, IL 312/338-6380 College Park Winter Open, Promenade, Bethesda, MD 301/530-0603 New England Club Monthly, Sheraton Commander, Cambridge, MA 617/262-0173 Rscards Winter Computer Modem Tournament, GEnie 800/638-9636 10th Nevada State Tournament/Masters lnvit'l, Sands Hotel, Las Vegas 708/470-9491 Flint Area Club Awards Night & Bonus Tournament, Ramada, Flint, Ml 313/232-9731 5th Hawthorne Classic, Hawthorne Race Course, Cicero, IL 312/338-6380 15th Annual CharitvTournament Greentree Marrion Pinsbumh PA 412/823-7500 29th Gammon Associates Invitational Cavendish West Hollvwood CA 818/901-0464 Fleet Underwood Memorial & Benefit Tournament, Ramada, Flint, Ml 313/232-9731

Mar 12-14 Boston OPen, Sheraton Commander Hotel Cambridge, MA 617/262-0173 312/338-6380 3171845-8435 217/789-6275 301 /530-0603 800/638-9636 6031863-4711

Mar 19-21 1993 Midwest Championships. Marriott Hotel. Oakbrook. IL Aor 16-18* 41st Indiana Open Omni North Hotel ltentativel Indianapolis IN Apr 17* Springfield Series $1000 Bonus Tourney, Davy Byrnes, Springfield, IL Apr 17* College Park Spring Open, Promenade, Bethesda, MD Apr 21* Rscards Spring Computer Modem Tournament, GEnie Apr30-May2* 14th Granite State Open & Team Tournev Woodbound Inn Jaffrey NH

OUTSIDE USA Nov 12-15* NRW Championships 1992, Hotel Antana/Kaarst, Dusseldorf, Germany 02151/503591 Nov 13-15 Dunhill Special Lights Hong Kong Championships, Ladies Recreation Club 852/846-1923 Nov 14-15* National Danish Championships, Denmark 039/400607 Nov 21* Deutsche Merkur Meisterschaft #11, Queens Hotel, Hamm, Germany 0521/64314 Nov 21-22 BIBA Trophy Tournament No.4, George Hotel, Solihull, England 0522/536836 Nov23-Dec1 Viva Vila Backgammon Cruise, P&O Fairstar, Sydney-to-Vila, Australia 03/726-0222 Nov 28 Weisbaden Cup 1992, Hotel Furstenhof-Esplanade, Wiesbaden, Germany 06122/16124 Dec 5* Deutsche Merkur Meisterschaft #12, Maritim Hotel, Gelsenkirchen, Ger 0521/64314 Dec 7 Hong Kong Club Monthly Tournament, Ladies Recreation Club 852/846-1923 Dec 7 Victoria Monthly Tournament, Botanical Hotel, South Yarra, Australia 03/822-3730 Dec 9-13 First International Turkish Championship, Hotel Akgun Istanbul, Turkey 3120/6254775 Dec 13 Christmas Open, New South Wales 02/369-3620 Dec 19 Kater Cup 1992 No.7, Cafe chantant De Kater, Enschede, Netherlands 3153/353115 Dec 19-20 Weisbaden Cup 1992, Hotel Furstenhof-Esplanade, Wiesbaden, Germany 06122/16124 Jan 4 • Hong Kong Club Monthly Tournament, Ladies Recreation Club 852/846-1923 Jan 14-17 2nd Dutch Open Championship 1993, Amsterdam, The Netherlands 3120/6254775 Feb 4-7* 5th Pro-Am Tournament, Paradise Island Resort & Casino, Bahamas 301/299-8264 Feb 18-21 3rd French Open Championship, Hotel Lutetia, Paris, France 1 42 88 66 45 Mar 11-14 Ted Bassett & Gstaad Palace-Cup, Palace Hotel Gstaad, Switzerland 061/50 58 16 Mar 22-28* Casino De Vilamoura Portuguese Championships, Portugal 4421/440 3428 Apr 3-4* British Isles Open 1993 Trophy Tourney, Lawn Complex, Lincoln, England 0522/536836 Apr 9-12 * 5th Nordic Open Championships, Hotel Marinelyst, Helsinki, Finland 039/40 06 07 Apr28-May2 2nd Tournament of the Americas, Cariari Hotel, San Jose, Costa Rica 312/252-7755

the spectators who look forward to the excitement of a good finals. Imagine the outcry if the finalists at Wimbledon de­cided to play just one set of tennis to determine a champion!

I suppose it is more profitable to play

big bucks chouettes with easy marks, but what about the glory of the game? How about giving something back to backgam­mon for a change?-A/ex Caraplis, Hackettstown, NJ

[Continues]

~C~H~IC~A~G~O~P~O~I~N~T~5~2==============================~C[Ji===================================~No~v~e=m~b=er~1~99~2

Tino Lechich and Mike Senkiewicz short- hedging. Therefore, why not scale down ened their America Cup match from 2S- to the match lengths with each advancing II-points because all prize money had been round? For example, begin with a "playto" equally divided. I see nothing wrong with of I7 -points leading to an I1-point finals. this. Can we really expect any two players At most International Backgammon to spend three to four hours of "work" for Association events, one match length is trophies alone? established for the entire tournament. An

The most important round of any tourna- even better idea might be to set all lengths mentis the first one because every player is at (let's say) IS-points. In money rounds, actively involved and there is never any give the involved players an option to

rr~ COMPILED BAR 1992 BPC PLAYER OF THE YEAR POINT THRU 31 OCT. CLUB

GARY KAY 18.92 Marcy Sloan 4.I6 Graham Sievers 0.96 YAMIN YAMIN I6.72 Richard Stawowy 3.60 Peter Naguib 0.88 DEEB SHALA TI I6.00 Lou Salzman 3.S2 Bob Vining 0.88 DONJAYHAN IS.94 Judy Brown 3.44 Jeff Gottesman 0.88 STIJKA1Z IS.72 Bill Davis 3.44 Kathy Rudnick 0.88 DAVID RUBIN I4.88 Roland Dieter 3.28 Ron Stur 0.88 MARY FRANKS I3.52 Leslie Lockett 3.20 Larry Y akowenko 0.88 DAVE CRAMER I2.48 George Barr 3.20 Ken Bond 0.88 DAVID ROCKWELL 11.92 Herb Roman 3.20 Gary Hines 0.80 HOWARD MARKOWI1Z 11.28 Peter Berkman 3.20 Jerry Hartsman 0.80 PAUL FRANKS 10.88 Rene Wojtysiak 3.12 Neil Kazaross 0.80 PHYLLIS SMOLINSKI 10.32 Ralph Levy 2.80 Dan Judd 0.76 DEAN MUENCH 9.52 Barry Miller 2.S6 Patrick Desmond 0.76 JOHNDEMIAN 9.36 Devin Dallaire 2.S6 Tony Schroeder 0.72 JOLIELEWIS 9.32 Jim Gibbs 2.56 Kurt Warning 0.64 JOHN BRUSSEL 8.24 Femi Owiku 2.48 KatyClark O.S6 BOBZAVORAL 8.12 Stan Kucharz 2.44 Larry Lau O.S6 SARGSERGES 7.52 Jeff Kane 2.40 Marv Arnol O.S2 HOWARD RING 7.32 Frankie Farjood 2.36 Harold Grote 0.48 LENNY LODER 7.20 Jerry Brooks 2.32 Fred Gehlhoff 0.44 Lucky Nelson 6.96 Steve Katz 2.32 Elaine Kehm 0.40 PeterKalba 6.72 Scott Goode 2.16 Karen Kertz 0.40 TakMorioka 6.40 Joe Koucharian 2.04 Kurt Schurecht 0.34 Bobbie Shifrin 6.28 Andy Argy 2.00 Harry Hayward 0.32 Bill Cox 6.24 James Colen 1.92 Earl Risch 0.32 Norma Shyer 6.I6 Wilcox Snellings 1.92 John Macaluso 0.32 Arline Levy 6.00 Tim Serges 1.88 Phil Simborg 0.32 Reggie Porter S.92 Fred Feldman 1.76 Joan Hegg 0.28 BobEbbeler S.92 Marty Tatosian 1.76 Betsy Miller 0.24 Joann Feinstein S.88 Paul Klein 1.76 Bill Grad! 0.24 Alex Itkin S.52 Harold Seif 1.68 JeffDurkes 0.24 John Stryker S.48 Georgina Flanagan 1.68 Jill Ferdinand-Bros 0.24 Chris Stanford S.28 Don Desmond 1.68 Tad Wilson 0.24 Jake Jacobs 4.96 Les Moshinsky l.S6 Gary Fritz 0.24 Ed Buerger 4.96 Amy Trudeau l.S6 Bill Keefe 0.24 Tim Mabee 4.92 Ray Baker 1.28 Mark King 0.24 V.W. Zimnicki 4.72 Rich Galeba 1.28 Bruce Russell 0.20 Alice Kay 4.36 Steve Sacher 1.28 J.A. Miller 0.20 Chris Kenik 4.32 Maurice Barie 1.12 Jeff Peck 0.20 Paul Friedman 4.24 Mario Madrigal 0.96 Mike Spiropoulos 0.16

He's baaak! TAK MORIOKA won two tournaments in October to become the month's top master pointer with 3.84. Norma Shyer had a fine October grabbing 2.80 points. And Yam in Yamin placed third with 2.40 points and drew to within 2.20 of leader Gary Kay with two months to go.

0 fyou finish in the Top 20 for1992 (capitalized names on list), you'll be entered in a drawing for over $300 worth of valuable merchandise. The higher you finish, the better your winning chances.

Individual awards: 1st-Trophy +$200, 2nd-$125, 3rd-$75. 1st through 20th-engraved board tag. 1st through 6th-Invitation to participate on the Chicago Bar Point Club team in the 1993111inois State Challenge Cup.

November 1992

reduce their match length to 13-, 11-, or 9-points. Unless both players agree to the reduction, the match must be played to the pre-established IS-points.

Money round hedging at tournaments is commonplace. By permitting a mutually­agreeded reduction in money round match lengths, the tournament director remains in better touch with the desires of the play­ers.--Les Boyd, International Backgam­mon Assoc., Ft. Lauderdale, FL

WILCOX IN GREECE I have just returned from a trip to Greece, in a large part, thanks to Jim Caray of Athens. Jim is a retired businessman from the United States who has lived (and worked) in Greece for the past 20 years. He had responded to my interview in the September 1991 POINT where I expressed an interest in visiting Greece.

During my visit last month, Jim shared a few excursions with me, introducing me to some of his business acquaintances as well as members of the local BG community.

I was also entertained by Anthony Maltezopoulos, a dedicated backgammon promoter living in Athens. His selfless enthusiasm for backgammon is a bit unre­quited as it happens. However, there is usually a weekly tournament fielding near 20 players (with an enthusiastic auction!) which Anthony organizes.

For varying reasons, Anthony has had great difficulty sustaining a regular club here. But he hasn't given up. Much of his time is spent writing a backgammon book

[Continued on page 7]

your move

PROBLEM #187

1992 Tournament of the Americas 19-point final match. Neil Kazaross (BLACK) leads Talmadge Tinsley (WHITE), 17-16. CUBE ACTION?

CHICAGO POINT 52

Cluster Counting ... [ConJinuedfrom page 1]

once as if they were eight 5s = 40:

Position 2. Making use of the 5-point as a KEY POINT. Black= 40. White = 40.

The 20-point (opponent's 5-point) is the most useful Key Point. All checkers in your opponent's home board should be counted as 20 plus the pips required to get to the 20-point.

Position 3. Making use of the 20-point (opponent's 5-point) as a KEY POINT. Black= 108. White= 89.

Black's count in Position 3 is 108 which can be visualized as five 20s + 4 (two each from 22-point to 20-point) + 4 (one from 24-point to 20-point). White's count is 89, visualized as four 20s + 4 + 5 (for the checker on the bar).

MIRRORS

Mirrors are another important counting tool. Any point on the board plus its mir­ror-opposite point equals 25. For example, the 5-point + 20-point, the 1-point + 24-point, and the 12-point + 13-point all total

25 pips. It follows that that any cluster of 4 checkers in mirror positions total 50. See Positions 4 and 5:

Position 4. Using MIRRORS to count a cluster of four checkers. Black = 50. White= 50.

Position 5. Using MIRRORS to count a cluster of four checkers. Black = 50. White= 50.

O.K! It would be nice if every time you needed a pip count, the board would con­sist of clusters as previously described. Unfortunately, that doesn't happen. Fortu­nately, these easy-to-count clusters are relatively simple to form by mentally moving the checkers where you want them.

MENTAL SHIFriNG:==ONE WAY

One Way Mental Shifting involves mov­ing checkers forward to Key Points or Reference Positions and then adding the forward movement to the value of the Key Points or Reference Positions.

In Position 6 (shown above), Black's pip count of 137 can easily counted in three clusters: 40 (eight5s) + 33 (RP #4 + 3 pips) + 64 (three 20s + 4). Divide White' s check­ers into three clusters to yield a total pip count of 121:44 (5-Prime: + 4 pips forward,

2 each from the 7- to the 5-point) + 33 (three lOs+ 3 pips from 13 to 10) + 44 (two 20s + 4). Note that two of White's checkers were shifted to White's 5-point which is occupied by Black's checkers. When shifting one player's checkers, the other player's checker position can be ignored.

Position 6. ONE WAY MENTAL SHIFT­ING yields counts of Black = 137 and White= 121.

MENTAL SHIFriNG-TWO WAY

Two Way Mental Shifting differs from One Way Shifting in that checkers are shifted either forward or backward to Key Points or Reference Positions and then compensating shifts are made in the oppo­site direction on the same side of the board or in the same direction on the opposite side of the board. Examine Position 7:

Position 7. TWO WAY MENTAL SHIFT­ING yields counts of Black= 135 and White= 142.

HOME

Black's spare checkers on the 6- and 8-points are on the same side of the board. By shifting them one pip in opposite directions to the 7-point, a 5-Prime is formed. Black's position can easily be counted in two clusters: 70 (5-Prime) + 65 (five 13s) = 135.

=c~H~IC~A~G~O~P~O~I~N~T~52~==============================~~~====================================~N~ov~e~m~b~er~1~9:=92

White's spare checkers on the 8- and 13-points are on opposite sides of the board. By shifting them in the same direc­tion, in this case left to right, a 5-Prime is formed (RP #1) and Reference Position #7 is also formed. White's position can then be counted in three clusters: 60 + 40 + 42 (two 20s + 2) = 142.

It should be noted that there are often several Cluster Counting choices available. For instance, in Position 7, instead of forming a 5-Prime, you could have shifted the two 9-point checkers to the 8-point and compensated by shifting the two 5-point checkers to the 6-point to form RP #3. This cluster is also 70.pips.

YQURIURN Let's try counting some positions. Original positions and adjusted positions (after shifting) are shown but not described. Can you spot the shifts? If not, set them up on your backgammon board and they will become clear.

Position 8. Black = ? White = ?

By using Two Way Mental Shifting, · the position becomes:

Position SA. Black= 100. White = 84.

HOME

November 1992

Black's 100 pips can be counted in 3) + 84 (four 20s + 4). three clusters: 40 (5-Prime from the 6-point to the 2-point) +50 (Mirrors on the 7-point After shifting,White's position becomes: and 18-point) + 10. White's 84 pips can be counted in two clusters: 44 (5-Prime + 4) + Position 98. White= 149. 40 (four lOs).

Position 9. Black = ? White = ?

HOME

White's 149 pips can be counted in three clusters: 42 (eight Ss + 2) + 40 (RP #7) + 67 (three 20s + 7).

After shifting, Black's position becomes:

Position 9A. Black= 157. Position 10. Black = ? White = ?

Black's 157 can be counted in three clusters: 30 (six Ss) + 43 (RP #5 - five 8s +

After shifting, the position becomes:

[Continues]

~ WOALDWIDE

BACKGAUUON FEDEIWlON "&h'

Worldwide Backgammon Federation

GOLDEN CIRCUIT 1992-TOP 10

Shown at right are the cur­rent results of the World­wide Backgammon Federa­tion Golden Circuit Stand­ings as reported by Alberto da Pra. Results are current through 1 September 1992 (13 events).

1. I on Ressu (Switzerland) ... .. .. ........ . 56.10 2. Bob Wachtel (USA) ....................... 22.42 3. Richard Cieciorko (France) ........... 22.36 4. Philippe Narboni (Switzerland) ...... 21 .50 5. John Simon (Hong Kong) .............. 18.36 6. Japp Vischschraper (Holland) ....... 14.19 7. Paul Magriel (USA) ............. ....... .. . 13.77 8. Oscar Naghizadeh (Switzerland) .. 13.77 9. Maurice Djemal (Panama) ............ 12.90

10. Rolf Schreuder (Holland) ............... 10.71

CHICAGO POINT 52

Position 1 OA. Black = 1 06. White = 1 00.

Black's 106 pips can be counted in two clusters: 66 (twelve 5s + 6) + 40 (two 20s). White's 100 pips can be counted in two clusters: 30 (six 5s) + 70 (RP #4 + RP #4 again+ 10 for two checkers moved from the 13-point to the 8-point).

In Position 1 OA note that White only has 14 checkers. The two checkers origi­nally on the 3-point were shifted in differ­ent directions-<>ne checker to the 6-point and the other checker off the board.

As PREVIOUSLY NOTED, with Cluster Count­ing, there is almost always more than one correct way to count a position. You should use whichever cluster formations you can quickly visualize. For example:

Position 11. Black = ?

With a minimum of shifting, Black's pip count of 138 can be quickly counted in several different ways:

a. 63 (5-Prime + 3) + 75 (five 13s + 10 by shifting two checkers from the 18-point to the 13-point);

b. 63 (5-Prime + 3) + 62 (RP #6) + 13 (spare checker on the 13-point);

c. 50 (Mirrors on the 12- and 13-points) +

50 (Mirrors on the 7- and 18-points) + 30 (six 5s) + 8 (checker on the 8-point).

WELL, THAT's THE SYSTEM. Certainly my list of seven Reference Positions is by no means inclusive. You probably already know or will discover other positions that can be added to the list.

Will mastering the Cluster Counting technique improve your game, or at least make one tedious aspect of backgammon more enjoyable? Count on it.~

Hospitality is our specialty.

Pittsburgh Charity Tournament

19-21 February 1993 Pittsburgh Greentree Marriott Hotel

• Lower base main event entry fees • Open & Intermediate Side Pools • MISSING PERSON REWARD:

10% discount off base main event entry fee to any player not having played in the Charity Tour­nament in 1991 or 1992.

Steve Hast, director: 412/823-7500

NUVEEN

.. F . .

AMlliCAN BACKGAMMON TOUI *1993

Discover the magic. BACKGAMMON

TOURNAMENT ~tMI'/~

28 April-2 May 1993 Cariari Hotel & Casino

San Jose, Costa Rica Bill Davis, Director

featuring Carol joy Cole & Peter Kalba

Presented by Costa Rican Backgammon Association

Mario Madrigal, President

Information: Peter Kalba 312/252-7755

John Nuveen & Co. Incorporated is pleased to announce that

NICHOLAS C. MAFFEO VICE PRESIDENT- INVESTMENTS

PRUDENTIAL SECURITIES (800) 223-3941

has been elected a member of the

1992-1993 Nuveen Advisory Council for continuing excellence in financial counselling

in the field of tax-exempt securities

~C~H~IC~A~G~O~P~o=IN~T~5~2~===========================lG[JI================================~N~ov~e=m~be~r~19~92

who did what

WINNER'S CORNER

Oct.-Nov. 1992

Pittsburgh Sunday Tournament (Pittsburgh, PA; 4 Oct.) .. . Open (16): 1-Ron Genter, 213-Marc Ringuette I Lou Steiner. Novice (3): 1-Tony Pow. BarPointSunday(OakBrook, IL; 11 Oct.) ... Open (14): 1- Maurice Barie (MI), 2-Neil Kazaross, 314-Don Desmond I Jeff Kane (WI); 1 CI2C-John Brussel I Gary Kay. Intermediate (11): 112-Kurt Schurecht/ Don Jayhan, 314-Tim Mabee I Lou Salzman; 1 C-David Rubin, 2C-Aiice Kay. New England Monthly (Cambridge, MA; 11 Oct.) ... Expert (26): 1-Mehran Shahidi, 2-Rich Sweetman; 1 C-Bob Mohahed. A Div. (16): 1-Dennis Malkowski, 2-Tony Wuersch; 1 C-Gil Evans. B-Div. (5): 1-Larry Liebster, 2-Zita Samuels; 1C-AI Mason. Sangamon Valley Fall Open (Springfield, IL; 17 Oct.) .. . Open (20): 1-Dave Wallace, 2-John McCabe; 1 C-Carl Severino, 2C-Randy Reiff; 1 LC-Larry Whittenburg. College Park Fall Open (Bethesda, MD; 17-18 Oct.) .. . Open (29): 1-Ed O'Laughlin, 2-Roger Williamson; 1 C-Ali Rebatchi, 2C-Harry Zilli; 1 LC-William Wilner. Jackpot Tourna­ment (17): 1-Roger Williamson, 2-Bob Faucon; 1 C-Jim Baroff, 2C-Ed Mas Iansky. New Hampshire Fall Classic (Bedford, NH; 30 Oct.-1 Nov.) ... Open (24): 1-Antoinette Williams (NY), 2-WalterTrice (MA), 3/4-Karen Davis (NY) I Jack Kissane (NY). 1 C-Marty Storer (NH), 2C-Carl Adamec (NY). Interme­diate (9): 1-Gil Evans (NH), 2-Jerry Padova (NH). 1 C-Carol Falk. $500 Event (8): 1-Doug Roberts, 2-Rick Barabino. Doubles (8): 1-Carl Adamec (NY) & Wally Watson (NY) .. . Line Bedell held his tournament over Hallow­een weekend and many players came in cos­tumes. Scarriest: Jim Smyth (nun). Most Cre­ative: Bob Lumbra (Vermont bear). Champion Antoinette Williams' birthday was 30 Oct. making for a great weekend. Hoosier One-Day (Indianapolis, IN; 7 Nov.) ... Open (9): 1-Wendy Kaplan, 2-Jim Curtis. Advanced (9): 1-Judy McHale, 2-Scott Richardson. Intermediate ( 4): 1-Jan Gurvitz, 2-Sharon Baker. Springfield Series #1 (Springfield, IL; 7 Nov.) ... Open (26): 1-Larry Whittenburg, 2-Mark Kaye; 1C-John McCabe, 2C-Linda Woods; 1 LC-Greg Tomlin ... The San gam on Valley Backgammon Association's kickoff event for the 1992-1993 season. Results re­ported by Ed Zell. ~

November 1992

LETTERS ... [Continued from page 3]

in the Greek language. Topics include a wide range of "modem" concepts and applications as well as a heavy dose of quotes from many American masters.

I should also mention the intended Greek backgammon tournament that Eduardo Carrer is attempting to organize for early next May. Eduardo is in the entertainment field and has brought out­standing performers like Frank Sinatra to Greece. Undoubtedly, an event promoted by Eduardo would be well-sponsored with plenty of media attention.

I found the country of Greece filled with great beauty and history, and the Greek culture exceedingly hospitable. The backgammon spirit is great, but remains in transition, steeped in many centuries of cubeless play with many different styles of play still in practice today.

Mr. Caray and Mr. Maltezopoulos both extend fond wishes to you and high praise to the POINT contributors. Thanks again to Jim and Anthony and all the others with whom I shared meals and good conversa­tions, especially Aris, Andreas and Peter Caray, Jim's brother from New York. And last, but not least, I blow a kiss to a won­derful woman whose husband is ailing, my friend, Daisy Antonopoulos.

To conclude my trip, I ventured to Cairo, Egypt as a guest of Ibrahim Shousha (another POINT subscriber) and his wife Nadia. Ibrahim is a highly successful businessman and an enthusiastic backgam­mon player in the summer months. \We

first played in Monte Carlo four years ago where he soundly crushed me!)

The stay was delightful albeit much too short. I visited the Pyramids, the Great Sphinx, the mosques and the historical museum. My memory of these wonders will last a lifetime.

The Shoushas, their relatives and friends all treated me warmly and I hope my wife Randi will have the opportunity to entertain them one day.-Wilcox Snellings, Santa Barbara, CA

CALIFORNIA CHALLENGE CUP Earlier this year in Los Angeles, we held the first California Challenge Cup (modeled after the Illinois State Cup). It was San Diego with George Alessi, George Foster, Treena Bouque, Jon Vietor, Billy Altay and myself vs. Los Angeles. We defeated them 8-4.

This November at our Gran Prix, we will defend the Cup. Future challenges will be held about once a year and hopefully in­clude teams from San Francisco and Ante­lope Valley.-Mike Fujita, San Diego, CA

SOMETHING'S BEEN MISSING Although I renewed my subscription to CHICAGO POINT in late June, I haven't received any issues. Believe it or not, it took this long for me to realize that I hadn't been getting the POINT because of a new job I have that is the "job from hell."

Please send me the back issues or just reinstate my subscription beginning now.-James L. Lowe, Phoenix, AZ

Sorry, Jim. To make up for the error, we'll give you 15 issues for your one year sub­scription.-Ed. ~

ACE POINT BACKGM4r~ION CLUB

Open Daily

Michael Valentine, Director 41 East 60th Street

(Between Park Avenue and Madison Avenue)

New York City

3:00 P.M.-2:00A.M. Infonnation

212/753-0842

CHICAGO POINT 52

last month's position

PROBLEM #186 SOLVED

by Kit Woolsey

Illinois State Championship match. Joe Russell (White) leads Jake Jacobs (Black), 1 D-5 Crawford. BLACK TO PLAY 5·5.

Before analyzing any tournament prob­lem, it is first necessary to examine the

match score. Since White needs only one point to win, it does not matter to Black whether he loses a plain game or a gammon. More important, it is the Crawford game and Black needs an even number of points to win the match. Therefore, there is additional value attached to winning a two point gammon

The simplest choice is to run 23/13(2). Since Black will not be well poised to attack White's blot (double 5s just don't come up

every roll), the game is likely to degenerate into a race with Black commanding a mere 10 pip advantage. Black must be able to do better than this.

Also easy to reject is 23/18(2), 13/8(2). This actually gets the worst of both worlds. The 5-prime is not a big deal. White has plenty of constructive things to do before running his back man, and he will have a lot of time to roll the necessary 6. In the meantime, Black may have difficulty moving, and he still will have the problem of clearing the enemy bar point. The racing approach is not the right idea. Black must concentrate on his offense.

Black can construct a full prime with 13/8(2), 14/9(2). If Black can squirm out one of his back men, he 'II have a substantial tim­ing advantage. White will be stuck behind six-in-a-row, and Black may simply win the priming battle or force White into a gammon­generating accident as she tries to construct a counter-prime of her own. White has a lot of rolls which make her bar or 5-point, but she can't effectively make both on the same tum.

In addition, the priming play aims all of Black's available checkers at White's lone back man. Even if Black is unable to escape next roll, his forces are in place to mount a successful close-out attack right now.

13/3(2)* is another serious candidate. It makes a 5-prime with White on the bar, unable to improve her board next roll (ex­cept with 1-1 ). The problem with this play is that the follow-up is not fast enough. If White hits with a 2, she is in great shape. If White simply enters with an ace, she will be able to get her board going and it will be hard for Black to follow through. Even if

Jkntgbt'~ jftnanctall\ounbtable, 3Jnc. Registered Investment Advisor

EQUITIES: We recently have been heavy owners of funds invested in China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Latin America.

BoNDS: Due to the "Clinton Impact," yields have increased. Closed-end investment companies have fallen more than warranted as owners have run for the exits. Higher current yields and near term appreciation are expected by KFR, Inc. managed accounts.

For actual performance results on existing accounts:

P.O. Box 637, Deerfield, IL 60015 (708) 945-2060

ROLAND A. DIETER, President All services: FEES ONLY

Fellow, Society of Actuaries Associate Member, Investment Analyst Society of Chicago, Inc. Member, Association for Investment Management and Research

White flunks, Black has the dual problem of covering the 2-point and escaping two back men. Alas, the 5s he needs to do these things are duplicated. It looks like making the full prime is better.

The most unusual candidate is 13/3*, 7/2, 23/18. This play offers huge gammon potential when White flunks. Black will have 2s and 3s to pick up another checker, as well as 4s to cover the blot on the 3-point. This play generates more gammons than any of the other plays, but it will also lose more often compared to making the full prime.

Is it worth it? Not clear. Under normal conditions, this play would be far too risky, and 13/8(2), 14/9(2) would be the clear choice. However, at the given match score, with a very high premium for winning a gammon and no extra cost for getting gam­maned, I am willing to give 13/3*, 7/2, 23/18 the nod.

Probably the most important lesson to be learned from Problem #186 is to keep an open mind in match play. Certain scores can create very unusual conditions where the priorities change considerably from normal backgammon. Examine all possible alterna­tives before coming to a conclusion. My choice is so unusual that many players might not even consider it as a possibility. Yet analysis shows that under these conditions, it could easily be the winner.

Take full credit if you evaluated 13/3*, 7/2, 23/1 8 and then chose to reject it in favor of making the full prime. If you never even considered my choice, you have definitely erred in your problem-solving thought process-whatever you did. d

ILLlNOISACTfON < .. :::........ . . . . . ...... ·.···

CHICAGO BAR POINT CLUB

Bill Davis 312/338-6380

Peter Kalba 312/276-4144

Tuesday, 6:45 P.M. at Pat's Pub, 4343 N. Harlem Ave., Norridge 708/457-1166. Sunday Bimonthly, 12:30 P.M. at Braxton Seafood Grill, 3 Oakbrook Center Mall, Oak Brook 708/574-2155.

PUB CLUB: Tournaments Monday, 7:30P.M. at Fiddler·s. 345 W. North Ave., Villa Park. V.W.Zimnicki (708/378-5205.)

SANGAMON VAllEY BG ASSN: Tournaments Tuesday. 6:00P.M. at On Broadway, 210 S. Broadway, Springfield. Randy Armstrong (217/528-0117).

BlOOMINGTON-NORMAl BG ClUB: Tourn. 1sV3rd/5th Tuesday, 6:15 P.M. at Ride The Nine, 503 N. Prospect, Bloomington. Lane O"Connor (309/454-1947).

WINNETKA BG ClUB: Tournaments Wednesday. 7:00P.M. at 620 Lincoln, Winnetka. Trudie Stern (708/446-0537) .

CENTRAL Ill. BG ClUB: Tourn . Thurs., 6:30P.M. at Chi­Chi 's, 4415 N. Rockwood, Peoria. Sue Will (3Qql692-6909).

PRIME BG ClUB OF CHICAGO: Tourn. Friday, 7:00P.M. at TJ"s Lounge, Radisson Hotel, 4500W. Touhy, Lincolnwood. Joann Feinstein (708/674-0120).

NORTH CLUB: Daily side play except Sunday at 47 47 W. Peterson (402), Chgo. Greg Defotis (312/286-8417).

~C~H~IC~A~G~O~PO~IN~T~5~2~==============================~0[JI====================================~N~o~v=em=:be=r~1~99~2

The NEVADA BACKGAMMON ASSOCIATION

Howard Markowitz, Director proudly presents the

Tenth Annual Nevada State Backgammon Tournament · wlth Guaranteed Money ln Maln Events and

Added. Money ln Special Events

January 20 .. 24, 1993 Sands Hotel ~Casino

Las Vegas, Nevada

SANDS HOTEL RESERVATIONS Tower Rooms ............ $70 per night Garden Rooms ............ 50 per night

All rates are for single or double occ.

All reservations made by December 31, 1992 are confirmed.

Sands Hotel: (800) 634-690 t (Be sure to mention "Backgammon")

November 1992

AIR TRAVEL The NEVADA BACKGAMMON ASSOGATION is offering a special discount of 5% off any published air fare for travel to Las Vegas. To secure this rate, contact:

Edgewater Travel, Inc. (Attention: Sandy) 5701 N. Sheridan Road Chicago, IL 60660

(800) 284-0887 or (312) 784-3400 In Illinois

For more information: NEVADA BACKGAMMON ASSOCIATION

c/o Howard Markowitz P.O. Box 768 Morton Grove, IL 60053 (708) 470-9491

rnJ CHICAGO POINT 52

AMALGAMATION Myth: International expert Wilcox Snellings has never won a multi-day backgammon tournament. In fact, Snellings won the Gran­ite State Open 5-7 May 1989 in Jaffrey, NH. He also won the New England Team Cham­pionship that weekend... Lee E. Harvey defines a Picket Fence for us: "One player having the 8-, 6-, 4-, and 2-points with no intervening blots. A Full Picket Fence would also include the 10-point, but this is more rare. Picket Fences act more as a sieve than a blockade, tending to screen the opponent's even or odd rolls." ... Best wishes to Califor­nians Arthur Benjamin and Denna Dizengoff on their recent marriage engage­ment. .. Visiting Chicago BG clubs in Oct.: Mario Madrigal (CostaRica),Peter Naguib (Germany) and Fred Collins (Honolulu, HI) ... Congratulations to Larry & Jamie (Feinstein) lrgang on the 11 October birth of their number one son Michael Sean Irgang ... BPC player Alex Caraplis has relocated in New Jersey, but he's looking to return if he can find a chiropractic job as an associate doctor. .. Washington D.C. to New York City: Karen Davis ... Jake Jacobs is off to Korea for six weeks. Hopefully he'll return with some material for another BG

rates. date is:

Reserve early!

"excellent adventure" story ... Now you can send November 21st birthday greetings to Flint BackgammoNews editor Carol Joy Cole via her new combined FAX/phone line: 313/232-9731... Get well wishes go out to Chicago's Stu Katz who is recovering from a pulmonary abscess ... Steve Manning has opened the New York Chess and Backgam mon Club at 130 W. 42nd Street (612) in New York City. The club offers daily play from 12:00 noon until ? and will hold a premiere Sunday monthly tourney on 6 Dec. Info: 212/302-5989 . . . There's no present likethetime! THEBACKGAMMONWATCH (men's or women's) is available for Christ-

mas. Send $25 + $3 s&h to CHICAGO POINT; 2726 W. Lunt Ave.; Chicago, IL 60645. Satisfaction guaranteed... Games expert Greg Defotis has purchased the Chicago North Club (see "Illinois Action") from Howard Markowitz who will devote more time to his Nevada Backgammon Assoc .... L.A.'s Richard Armbruster plays an angel (dressed in a white business suit) fora current Marriott Residence Inn T.V. commercial. Per-haps that's why he's enjoyed some re­cent backgammon success . . . And finally, from Joe E. Lewis: ''I'm on such losing streak that if I had been around, I would have taken General Custer and given points." L1

American Backgammon Tour Events-1993 Tentative Schedule Watch this schedule for Tour additions and/or changes

Feb 19-21 15th Annual Charity Tournament, Greentree Marriott, Pittsburgh, PA Feb 26-28 29th Gammon Associates Invitational, Cavendish West Hollywood, CA Mar 12-14 Boston Open, Sheraton Commander Hotel, Cambridge, MA Mar 19-21 1993 Midwest Championships, Marriott Hotel, Oakbrook, IL Apr 16-18 41st Indiana Open, Omni North Hotel, Indianapolis, IN Apr 30-May 2 14th Granite State Open, Woodbound Inn, Jaffrey, NH May?-? . Spring Gran Prix, Embassy Suites Hotel, La Jolla, CA Jul2-4 Michigan Summer Championships, Novi Hilton, Novi, Ml Jul 9-11 CPBC Summer Championships, Promenade, Bethesda, MD Jui30-Aug 1 Thousand Islands Tournament, Pine Tree Pt. Resort, Alexandria Bay, NY Aug 9-15 Green Mountain Festival of Backgammon, Stratton Mountain Inn, VT Sep 3-6 National Labor Day Tournament, Indianapolis, IN Oct 1-3 Towpath Inn Tournament, Towpath Inn, Turin, NY Oct 6-10 3rd Illinois State Championships & America Cup, Hyatt Deerfield, IL Oct 29-31 New Hampshire Fall Classic, Sheraton Tara Wayfarer, Bedford, NH Nov?-? Autumn Gran Prix, Embassy Suites Hotel, La Jolla, CA

412/823-7500 818/901-0464 617/262-0173

. 312/338-6380 317/845-8435 603/863-4 711 619/294-2007 313/232-9731 301/530-0603 716/442 ·8221 305/527-4033 317/845-8435 716/442-8221 708/945-7801 603/863-4711 619/294-2007

entry fees: $800 • Intermediate $350